The disclosure relates generally to optical fibers and more particularly to methods of securing one or more optical fibers to a ferrule of a fiber optic connector.
Optical fibers are useful in a wide variety of applications, including the telecommunications industry for voice, video, and data transmissions. In a telecommunications system that uses optical fibers, there are typically many locations where fiber optic cables that carry the optical fibers connect to equipment or other fiber optic cables. To conveniently provide these connections, fiber optic connectors are often provided on the ends of fiber optic cables. The process of terminating individual optical fibers from a fiber optic cable is referred to as “connectorization.” Connectorization can be done in a factory, resulting in a “pre-connectorized” or “pre-terminated” fiber optic cable, or the field (e.g., using a “field-installable fiber optic connector).
Regardless of where installation occurs, a fiber optic connector typically includes a ferrule with one or more bores that receive one or more optical fibers. The ferrule supports and positions the optical fiber(s) with respect to a housing of the fiber optic connector. Thus, when the housing of the fiber optic connector is mated with another fiber optic connector or adapter, an optical fiber in the ferrule is positioned in a known, fixed location relative to the housing. This allows an optical connection to be established when the optical fiber is aligned with another optical fiber provided in the mating component (the other fiber optic connector or adapter).
To minimize signal attenuation through such an optical connection, the optical fiber should not move relative to the ferrule. Doing so might alter the precise spatial relationship of the optical fiber and ferrule and, in turn, affect alignment/mating with the optical fiber of the mating component. Conventional methods of preventing movement involves bonding the optical fiber in a bore of the ferrule with an epoxy-based adhesive (“epoxy”). Although relatively inexpensive, epoxy presents several challenges. For example, epoxy can be difficult to apply uniformly to all ferrules such that the quality of adhesive bond may vary. The spatial relationship of the optical fiber relative to the ferrule may then be difficult to predict. The need for precise mixing, a limited pot life after mixing, and long cure times after application are other challenges that epoxy typically presents.